Improvement in target-games



@duurt tftitr JOHN C. SGHOOLEY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

Letters Patent No. 110,792, dated January 3, 1871.

IMPROVEMENT IN TARGET-GAMES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letten Patent and making part o! the same.

To all whom tt may concern Y Be it known that I, JOHN G. ScHooLnY, of New York, in the county of New York and State of N ew York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Target-Games; and I do4 hereby declare the following to he a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation; and

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation.

The object of my invention is to provide for the amusement of the juvenile portion of the public a target so constructed as to exercise to the utmost the eye and manual dexterity or skill of the player, and calculated at the same time to furnish the requisite amount of excitement to prevent that weariness, ennui, or speedy dissatisfaction consequent upon the use of other and more simple toys of a similar character.

To this end I form a series of holes in a target, provide these with any preferred but dieringnumbers, and connect a ball of suitable size (to enable it to pass through holes) with the center of the target by means of an elastic cord.

The holes are preferably made slightly daring or wide-mouthed, and the target is of such thickness as te require that the ball-shall enter the holes in a straight line, or nearly so; else it will rebound, and the player be foiled in his purpose.

Referring to the drawinga is thetarget, made circular in this instance, but not necessarily so,as any desired shape may be chosen, and any suitable material.

b are the holes made through the board, in concentric circles or any other arrangement, and cach marked with a number, such as 10, 20. 85e.;

c is the ball; and A d, the elastic cord by which the ball is attached to the center of the target.

If after stretching the cord the player can let the ball slip from his fingers in the right direction to pass throngiroue of the holes, he gains in the game the number with which the hole is marked.

The diiticulty of performing this feat is caused by the lateral tension exerted upon the ball by the cord.

The target may, for convenience sake, be provided with a handle, e.

An arrow, or an' article of any other shape, may be used instead of the ball, and a. spiral spring, or a common cord combined with a spiral spring, may be ernployed instead of the elastic cord; and the use of either of these, and in fact of any device the equivalent of either ot those herein described, I should consider an infringement of my patent.

The tendency of the ball is always of course toward the center of the target when drawn toward the latter by the cord, audit therefore requires long practice to acquire the skill necessary to sending the ball through any particular hole.-

Targets have been constructed of a series of pins set in a plate at suitable distances apart; and also of a suitable apertured plat-c, aball being'conuected with each as in my case; but both forms are objectionable, since theytest the skill of the player to a comparatively slight degree.

My invention is designed to remedy this.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The new and improved toy herein shown and described, consisting of the target a provided with a series of holes b b, suitably numbered, and the ballc, attached to the center of said target bythe elastic cord d, all as specified.

JOHN C. SGHOOLEY.

VVitnessesl EUGENE GHEvALLIEn, MARTIN A. BUBLINGAME. 

